Artists Take Over Grand Rapids for Art.Downtown. 2016! Here’s Where to Find KCAD Work

Mark your calendars - Art.Downtown. returns for 2016 on Saturday, April 9 from 12-9pm. Organized by Dwelling Place’s Avenue for the Arts with support from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) and Downtown Grand Rapids Incorporated (DGRI), Grand Rapids’ premier spring arts event will feature over 400 local artists and curators in 64 exhibitions hosted at 40 venues throughout the downtown area.

Artist will again take over downtown Grand Rapids for Art.Downtown. 2016

Three trolleys will be available to transport you, your friends, and your family everywhere you want to go, from galleries and venues to the best in local food and drinks. While you’re on your journey, don’t forget to check out the 30+ exhibitions featuring KCAD faculty, staff, students, and/or alumni:

Grand Rapids Art Museum (101 Monroe Center)(in)visible spaces - This exhibition, comprised of the work of 12 artists, pushes ideas of positive and negative space, what is seen and what is not. This work opens up discussion between things that we might not normally address, promoting vulnerability and honesty.

Dredged | Drawn- Each artist in this exhibition is a maker who uses drawing to produce work as an act of visual inquiry where the physical act of hand to eye to create line and document process becomes an endeavor to contemplate systems of identity, beauty, memory, and space. For these artists drawing is not just a tool, but rather an innate facet of their practice.

KCAD connections:
Curators: Michele Bosak, Israel Davis

Wielding Power - Featuring mixed media sculptures and pinhole camera photographs, this exhibition is the manifestation of artist Susan Graham's fascination with the moment before or just at the first awareness of an occurrence of violence in which the brutal outcome can be known or imagined.

KCAD connections:
Curator: Michele Bosak

Ministry of Medium Machines– This exhibition comprises hand-made, found, and modified objects and images born out of artist Marat Paransky's vision of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. Paransky has created a mixed-media installation of photographs, paintings, sculptures, collages and an archive of books/articles that function as a museum of sorts.

KCAD connections:
Curator: Michele Bosak

Kendall College of Art and Design (17 Fountain St. NW)Spring - An exhibition of artwork created during SiteStudio and artlink.gr projects by students from Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities. (Atrium)

KCAD connections:
Curator: Tatsuki Hakoyama

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot - A broad view of the work of former military service members currently pursuing degrees at KCAD, this exhibition shows the diverse range of skills of artists who've served, and the unique story each has to tell. (Helen Miller Gallery)

Inspired by Cats - An exhibition by three multidisciplinary artists, designers, and cat-lovers that explores the roles cats play in contemporary pop culture, and the diverse styles and mediums used in the exhibition expand upon the image of feline-inspired art. (Gallery 104)

Spiral (44 S. Division)Pure Flint: A Collective of Flint City Artists - This exhibition is both a celebration of the contemporary art and culture produced by artists who work and live in the Flint City area, as well as an investigation into the relationship of Art and artists to the current state of the city.

KCAD connections:
Artists: Tim KranzCurator: Marvin Dabideen

Calvin College (106) Gallery and Studios (106 S. Division)Hybrid Explorations: Closing Reception and Performance – An exhibition showcasing the two-dimensional charcoal work and the performative practice of artist Brianna Baurichter. Brianna will be performing in the gallery space, 3-9 pm. Refreshments served.

Woosah Outfitters (131 S. Division)Creative collab- Woosah will be releasing their newest collaborations with talented local makers Jacob Vroon from Harbinger Leather Design and Nate Lattimore from Mitten Coast Surf. Stop by to get the first peak at new releases such as woodblock printed Dopp Kits and limited edition Skate Decks.

KCAD connections:
Artists: Erica LangCurator: Erica Lang

235 S. Division Pop-up GalleryConstraint – A thesis exhibition from KCAD Graphic Design seniors that investigates both the positive and negative implications of the word “constraint.”

Avenue for the Arts (307 S. Division)Departure - Features work from contemporary Midwest artists that is outside of their normal studio practice. Five artists are creating work in new mediums and exploring new concepts. Departure is an experiment and excuse to try something new.

349 S. Division Pop-up GalleryFrame of Mind - An exhibition on bringing awareness to mental health through personal narrative. Each artist explores what it is like to have their condition and how it affects their everyday life. From anxiety to bipolar disorder, Frame of Mind contemplates how brain chemistry and the human condition interconnect.

Useless / Powers of 100- A collection of objects from our environments that we misuse, no longer use, use for unintended purposes, want but do not need and feel obliged to keep.

KCAD connections:
Curator: Christopher Fox

At Home and Further Afield - A curated blind collaboration among artists from other places and those that make their home here in Grand Rapids, MI, USA. An invited artist from outside of GR sends a high-resolution digital image of the work that they wish to have executed for the exhibition. A Grand Rapids based artist receives the image and determines how to best translate and execute it for the exhibition.

Parallel Positions - This project recognizes the neighborhood’s residential and commercial spaces that have been undervalued, untended or overlooked. Outward appearances form assumptions and expectations. Each artist’s work in this installation is a conscious construction of the facades observed in the surrounding environment–households, cultures, and barriers.

KCAD connections:
Artists: Michele BosakCurator: Michele Bosak

Founders Brewing Co. (235 Grandville Ave)Fabulous Founders- Showcasing three very talented artists at Founders Brewing Co. Check out the walls near the deli and stained glass to see what they have to offer!

KNITit Studio (319 S. Division)KNITit - Imagine a 3D knit scarf that is created without cutting or sewing and that morphs into a dress and a shrug. Now imagine that you can choose the style and color of this 3 in one item. Join us at KNITit to become a part of this sustainable 3D knitting movement.

KCAD connections:
Artists: Alexis TroxellCurator: Liz Bartlett

Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts (2 Fulton West)Look Behind Design: A Process Gallery - A unique look at the design process, highlighting not just the final design but the initial concepts, transformation, and refinement which led to the final product.

Color of the Year presented by X-Rite Pantone - Stroll the galleries and explore the works on view inspired by the 2016 PANTONE® Color of the Year – Rose Quartz and Serenity. Hear remarks by Heather Duffy, UICA Exhibitions Curator, and enjoy small bites and a cash bar.

KCAD connections:
Artists: Danielle WyckoffCurator: Heather Duffy

UNLOADED - Explores the historical and social issues surrounding the availability, use and impact of guns on culture and public health. The exhibition is comprised of works by more than 20 national and international artists and one artist’s collective. The pieces include photography, digital media, sculpture, and paint on canvas.